Girl Talk at a sold-out HOB and more music in New Orleans for Jan. 10

When you are a one-man band and your only “instruments” are a couple of laptops, that doesn’t leave much to work with onstage. But Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, is not above stage-diving, crowd-surfing or sweating alongside his fans to get a reaction. Usually his dance floor-filling mash-ups do the trick. The Pittsburgh native creates art out of other musicians’ art. He samples songs from across the pop landscape; no one is off-limits. Celine Dion and Kelly Clarkson may bump up against Metallica and Journey in his mixes; a classic Boston track informs the hardcore rap of his “Once Again.” Against all odds, Gillis/Girl Talk has apparently avoided being sued for unauthorized sampling. He made his most recent album, “All Day,” available as a free download, which perhaps gives him some “fair use” legal protection (he releases music through a label called, cheekily, Illegal Art). He makes his money on the road as a popular attraction at clubs and major music festivals. Both shows at the House of Blues are sold out.